A �110,000 overhaul of bathrooms and toilets at Lister Hospital in Stevenage had been completed. The project, which started in April, was in response to the national Your Privacy, Our Responsibility initiative to eliminate mixed sex bays and sanitary faci

A �110,000 overhaul of bathrooms and toilets at Lister Hospital in Stevenage had been completed.

The project, which started in April, was in response to the national Your Privacy, Our Responsibility initiative to eliminate mixed sex bays and sanitary facilities within the NHS.

In January, the then Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, announced that failure to comply would result in financial penalties from 2010/11, unless there is an overriding clinical justification.

The East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust, which runs Lister, successfully bid for Government money to pay for the project, and bathrooms and toilets on nine wards at Lister were addressed.

The Trust's chief executive, Nick Carver, said: "While we have had separate, dedicated bays for men and women on our main wards for quite a while now, some patients have had to use bathrooms and toilets that are either used by members of the opposite sex, or they have to walk past bays with such patients. This can be especially important for elderly patients.

"I am sure that everyone will appreciate the new bathroom facilities at our hospitals.